3. Don’t wear cropped pants with large patterns. Solid are most slimming or if you wear a pattern keep it small so it doesn’t overwhelm.

4. Wear a heel or wedge to add a few inches. Flat shoes with cropped pants can make you look short and squat. A shoe can elevate your frame and make your legs look longer than they are.

5. Keep the top of the foot open by wearing sandals or low vamp shoes to expose skin and elongate the leg.

6. Stick to tops that skim the top of your capris/cropped pant. By showing more pant you give the illusion of a longer leg.

7. Tops with a wider neckline also help draw the eye up balance you out and make you look taller.

Just because you are short doesn’t mean you have a tiny figure to go with it. Here’s a few other tips for camouflaging problem areas.

Tummy trouble? -Be careful with a Drawstring WaistThese drawstring cargo cropped pants look great on this gal because of her gorgeous pancake belly and thin legs, however, if you have a midlife mommy tummy the drawstring waist, massive pockets and baggy legs will make you look like you are wearing a laundry bag. Choose something that doesn’t put all the attention at the tummy. (Nordstrom)

drawstring cropped pants

Go for a Wide Waistband Black is always Audrey Hepburn elegant, and also figure flattering to a woman’s bottom half. This wide waistband pulls in and camouflages that midlife middle. The tapered leg is slimming and sexy too. (Nordstrom)

black cropped pants

Big hips and Thighs -Avoid Cuffed cropped pants:Don’t want to looks shorter? Then don’t wear pants with a cuff. You may think the roll up look cute but it will only cut you down and make you look stubby, and if you have a extra few pounds on you, wide too. These pants are best for med-tall gals with average legs. Any gal with bulky thighs should definitely stay from these as the huge pockets will only accentuate them.

cargo crop pant

Buy a pair of Flat front cropped pants Let’s face it. For a lot of us the answer to wearing pants and looking good in them is to wear your shirt tucked out, and these stretchy cropped pants are perfect for that. There’s no buttons, zippers or stuff to get in the way, so you have a seamless tower of white for which to place a pretty top over.

stretchy capri

Test once and you will know -Low Rise Cropped pants: O.K. loose and slouchy, but cool on the right gal. You need a flat tummy and a low waist to pull these off. Very fashion forward and all over Paris.

Love your newsletters. Heels just don’t work with most of these cropped pants. All of these cropped pants would look great with flats or flat sandels, with the exception of the “heading South” blue ones which are hideous, and the Loose black ones, which are not much better. Heels with cropped pants just look like you are trying too hard.

Thank you so much for letting women know we are NOT all the best figure types for cropped length slacks. More women cannot wear this length well than can wear this length well. I will be glad when this style goes away but it doesn’t look like it will be any time soon; it’s all I see in the stores for summer.

Hi Elle,
If you have large thighs you are right in thinking that a more “balanced” look will def. be better for you. Pants with a slight flair at the bottom will even out the top. Legging are not for everyone. Thanks for sharing and your honesty!!!

Hi Anne,
Good luck with your quest! The one tip for your body type is that you might want to wear some wedge shoes with them to help lengthen your leg. Also wearing some type of cropped jacket or sweater might help balance you out, as well.

I think the slim legged ones should only be worn with flats but that’s just my opinion. The wider legged ones look great with heels (but not the drawstring cargo type). The blue harem ‘heading south’ ones look atrocious. I even hate them on my daughter who’s 21, 5ft 11 & weighs nothing. Love this site Deborah.